TIE lays out new plans to employ 4,500 PWDs by 2030

Resident employment rate of PWDs increased steadily from 28.2% to 32.7%.

The Taskforce on Promoting Inclusive Employment Practices (TIE) announced its recommendations to increase the employment rate for persons with disabilities (PWDs) to 40% by 2030. 

Collectively, these initiatives are expected to place an additional 4,500 persons with disabilities into employment by 2030, contributing significantly to the Enabling Masterplan 2030 (EMP2030) employment target. 

“As we work towards 2030, we will continue to do more, particularly in the post-18 space, and we need more in society to come on board this collective journey of disability inclusion,” said Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development and Culture, Community, and Youth. 

TIE recommends building up employers’ in-house capabilities to implement inclusive hiring practices. Such practices are defraying part of the costs and expanding the pool of inclusive hiring champions to advocate for inclusive hiring practices in target sectors: Information & Communications, Health & Social Services, and Transport & Storage.

Another recommendation to increase employment opportunities is to introduce a clear set of competencies to uplift the capabilities and professional standards of job coaches, who play an important role in supporting PwDs. 

In response, SG Enable has launched the Job Coach Career Map, as part of the Enabling Skills and Competencies Framework (ESCF), which outlines the skills and competencies as well as career progression pathways of job coaches.

“The Taskforce on Promoting Inclusive Employment Practices’ recommendations will support companies to benefit from inclusive hiring, by building up their capabilities to employ and retain persons with disabilities,” said Susan Chong, CEO and Founder, Greenphyto & Board Member, Singapore Business Federation Foundation.

Various initiatives such as the Open Door Programme, Enabling Employment Credit, and Enabling Mark have been introduced over the years to encourage and support employers in inclusive hiring and to place persons with disabilities into employment. 

The resident employment rate of persons with disabilities aged 15 to 64 has increased steadily from 28.2% in 2018/2019 to 32.7% in 2022/2023.